Transport and Tourism

More investment and less pollution

At its heart, this committee is responsible for creating a common European policy for rail, road, inland waterways, maritime and air transport. Its influence ranges from establishing common rules for transport within the European Union to developing the infrastructure for trans-European networks. It also deals with postal services and tourism.

We will continue to demand stricter monitoring and controls to ensure safer mobility for all means of transport. We also support cleaner transport modes that cause less pollution and global warming. Cleaner transport requires investment in innovative technologies and the promotion of EU-wide standards.

We have achieved a lot. In 2011, we adopted important measures in the Road Safety Programme, including mandatory seat belt reminders in cars. Our DiscoverEU initiative has already given 15,000 young people turning 18 a free ticket to discover our continent by train. And, thanks to our efforts, new rules support and compensate passengers who have faced delays.

But more needs to be done. The EPP Group supports all EU projects aimed at smarter and more interconnected transport, including the Trans-European Network (TEN-T), which funds road, rail, maritime, inland waterways and air transport projects in every EU Member State.

We are addressing some very wide-ranging questions: from the future of the Economic and Monetary Union in the EU, the euro and financial stability to energy supply and security, climate policy, environmental protection and air quality.